Word has it that our streets will be significantly safer once the human element is taken out of driving. AI in self-driving cars will be able to reduce accidents to nil overnight when human drivers are a thing of the past. But, the government has another use for self-driving cars, and it’s about saving lives too. It’s about keeping soldiers out of danger by sending supply convoys out on their own. This will (probably) require AI that’s capable of detecting and dispatching threats automatically as well, but you get the point – no soldiers in route, no casualties are possible.

Deep down, we all knew this would happen, but we never really spoke about it. Now, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Michael Griffen, has told Bloomberg that the U.S. Military will have self-driving technology first. In fact, he was pretty certain of the notion and even said that simple algorithms would be all that is needed as most supply runs don’t have to worry about human pedestrians, street signs, or other obstacles. With Griffin admitting that 52-percent of casualties in combat zones can be traced back to supply runs and logistical activities, this could turn out to take a significant role in saving the lives of our men and women in uniform.

With that said, there’s no word as to what private companies the Pentagon could team up with, but when you consider the strides made recently, especially by brands like Tesla, it seems like the Government could have self-driving vehicles as soon as next year. Furthermore, the government could also use the technology for things tanks, bomb detection, bomb disarming, wounded soldier retrieval, explosive disposal, and reconnaissance, among other things.

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